Assassin's Creed - The Great Templar Purge
by TheKaizoku
Summary: David Corsei makes a kickass return in this sequel to 'Assassin's Creed - Reborn'. If you liked the story or have any comments, please review, favourite and follow.
1. Chapter 1 - Barfight

A man was in a bar in the colony of New York, in the year 1748, drinking away. His head was down so few could see the man's face. A few people managed to catch a glimpse of the man's face. The man had a thick beard and moustache to conceal his identity. He looked drunk, but he was actually not.

Five men barged into the bar, four of them armed with swords and one of them armed with a sword and a pistol. Everyone immediately assumed that the man with the pistol was the leader of the group. They were right.

The leader kicked a table over and asked, "Where the hell is David Corsei?" People looked at each other, not knowing who in the world was David Corsei, and shook their heads as a reply to the leader.

"I know that dog is in here! Pull him out or I'll destroy this godforsaken place!" the leader sliced off a section of the table he had kicked over, showing the people in the bar that he could and would do the same to the civilians if he did not find this David Corsei.

His men spread out, looking around to find a face that resembled David Corsei's. Eventually, one of the men came up to the man with the moustache and beard. "Look up, you drunk shit!" the man ordered. The bearded man looked up and the hooligan examined his face. "Get back to whatever the shit you were doing now."

The bearded man stood up and flicked his wrist. The hooligan thought the man was challenging him. "You're unarmed and I have a vicious knife in my hand. I could kill you in a moment."

Showing a small but threatening smile, the bearded man showed the underside of his wrists. There was a strange mechanism which the hooligan could not understand what it was. But the hooligan saw the blade protruding out of the strange mechanism and knew that it was a weapon. Before the hooligan could say anything, the bearded man stabbed him in the stomach.

The leader and his three hooligans were attracted by the noise at one side of the bar. They looked there and saw one of their men being punched in the stomach by a drunkard. Examining the scene more carefully, they realised their man had been stabbed by a blade.

"Get the damn drunkard!" ordered the hooligan leader. His three men rushed over to the bearded man. Everyone had thought that the bearded man was a drunk, yet he was moving more quickly than a normal person. The bearded man took the injured hooligan's sword and jumped on the table, facing the three hooligans who were approaching from all sides.

The first hooligan slashed the thin long part of the wooden table and it collapsed. The bearded man leaped off the table almost effortlessly and kicked the first hooligan hard in the stomach. He stumbled backwards and crashed into another table, breaking half of it into wooden splinters. The first hooligan lay unconscious and bleeding on the floor.

With a new burst of energy gotten from the anger of seeing their comrade unconscious on the floor, the second and third hooligans attacked the bearded man. The bearded man used his sword to parry a blow from the third hooligan and with the Hidden Blade, which was the strange mechanism with the blade protruding out from earlier, he disarmed the hooligan, literally. The third hooligan howled in agony before toppling onto the floor as a result of shock and the immense pain. The second hooligan retreated a few steps, but his leader shouted, "Do not surrender, fools! The attacker must be weakened after injuring two of our comrades! You can finish him!"

The second hooligan nodded at his leader reluctantly and faced the bearded man. The bearded man said two words to the hooligan, "Surrender, now." He made it sound scary and threatening, making the second hooligan unable to force himself to face the bearded man. The second hooligan dropped his sword and ran out of the bar. However, before he could do so, the leader shot the second hooligan in the temple. The second hooligan fell to his side and bled to death.

"You fight well, bearded man. Your skill is probably as good as ten of my men combined. Join my organisation, and I will spare you."

All the bearded man did was spit on the floor. The leader shrugged. "Oh well then. At least I tried. Now, time for you to die." The leader drew his sword and battled the bearded man.

The bearded man defended against the leader's attack. "What is your name? At least the world can know the name of one of the people I killed." The bearded man spat on the leader's face, blinding him temporarily. While the leader was blinded, the bearded man kicked the leader in the crotch and swiftly plunged his sword into the leader's chest.

As the leader lay on the floor with the sword in his chest, the bearded man knelt beside him and whispered into his ear, "My name is David Corsei." The leader laughed as he passed away.


	2. Chapter 2 - Partnership

David left the bar and went back to his home, a small room in an apartment building in Manhattan. After he killed the Master Templar John Hopaase in 1743, David had cut off ties with the Assassins. Victor Rackham, the gang leader and Assassin, had offered David a job to be the owner of one of Victor's establishments, but David had politely refused. That was the last time David encountered any Assassin he knew.

He sat down on a chair and took a bottle of beer out of his ice box. David opened the bottle and took a sip as he recounted an event that happened a year before.

David was carrying out a task for someone who had hired him. On the streets, David saw a lady being harassed by three men. David walked up to the three men and asked them, "What in the world are you doing?"

One of the men spat on the floor. "None of your business." David saw that the man was wearing a ring, and there was a symbol on the ring which he knew and hated. The symbol was the Templar crest. "So a Templar hooligan you are, eh?"

The man's eyes widened. He unsheathed his sword as he ordered his men, "Take this man down!" David's Hidden Blade ejected and he cut down the first and second hooligan quickly. The man with the Templar ring remained.

"Goodbye," David said before killing the Templar hooligan.

David finished his bottle of beer. After that incident, he had found out more about the Templar hooligan. Apparently, he was part of a mercenary organisation known as the Warriors of New York. The Warriors of New York had grown bigger two months ago after they killed the gang leader and Assassin Victor Rackham and merged his gang with their mercenary organisation. David vowed that he would destroy the Warriors of New York.

After he finished the bottle of beer, David looked through at the file he had compiled of all information about the Warriors of New York. He looked through the list of known members of the mercenary organisation and decided on his target.

David packed about fifty pounds worth of British shillings and headed to Richmond Town, which was located on Staten Island. David had to find a boat that would take him to Staten Island, as taking a boat was much easier than walking and swimming a little.

He reached Staten Island half a day later, but David still had to walk for half an hour to reach Richmond Town. David walked the half an hour and reached Richmond Town. It was evening when he reached the town so he decided to rest for the night at a cheap inn.

The next day, David hunted down his target – John Caesar. John Caesar was the leader of all the Warriors of New York mercenaries on Staten Island. If David could kill John Caesar with the correct method, he could start a small force with some, if not all of John Caesar's mercenaries.

David went to the mercenaries' hideout and entered through a first floor window. He looked around and saw John Caesar in aroom talking to ten or so mercenaries. Smiling, David ejected his Hidden Blade, ran into the room and slit John's throat. The mercenaries stood up hastily and drew their weapons.

"Stop!" David shouted. Surprisingly, the mercenaries followed David's command. One of the mercenaries came forward and knelt down in front of David. "I am Joseph Caysee, second-in-command of the Warriors of New York members on Staten Island. On behalf of all of my members here, I thank you for killing John Caesar."

David raised an eyebrow. "John Caesar was cruel and a little out of his mind. We were poorly fed and lousily armed. It is no wonder that we're the worst group in the whole of the Warriors. Will you become our new leader?"

"I will not. My leadership skills are poor. If I were to lead you men, you all would stay the same. You should lead, Joseph Caysee. I see talent in you. Besides, mercenary warfare is not my calling."

Joseph got up and asked, "Perhaps you would like to become our ally? We plan to break away from the Warriors of New York and set up a new organisation."

David readily agreed. "That is a wise choice. The leaders of the Warriors are evil people, as I have realised. They are evil, even for mercenary leaders."

Joseph told David, "I have met you before. You are David, are you not?" David was surprised, but he said nothing. David continued, "I met you a few times about ten years ago. Yet I can still recognise you. At that time, I remember that you were talking to my boss, Victor Rackham. The name rings a bell to you, eh?"

"Indeed, Victor Rackham is a name familiar to my ears. So you are saying that you were once part of his organisation?" Joseph nodded. "Just call it a gang. 'Organisation' sounds odd. But you are correct, I was a lieutenant in his gang. When the Warriors of New York killed Victor Rackham, I was given two choices, the first was to join them and the second was to die."

"I suppose you value your life more, thus you chose the first choice."

"Yes."

David shook Joseph's hand and said, "I believe this is the start of something great." Joseph grinned.


	3. Chapter 3 - David the Weapons Supplier

After they shook hands, Joseph and two other mercenaries escorted David to the armoury located in the building. A lot of the weapons in the armoury were rusty knives. There were several swords, but they were all dirty or rusty. Other than the melee weapons, there were less than ten firearms. The mercenaries rarely used them as ammunition was scarce.

"How are you going to fight anyone with your weapons in this state?" David asked a rhetorical question. Joseph sighed. "Exactly. May I request you to collect some weapons for us?"

"I know just the way to do it. Throw out all your weapons, I'm getting new ones for you all."

David spent the next two days searching around for weapons. On the first day he did not find any weapons but on the second day, in the village of New Dorp, David found what he needed. Two British officers and two British soldiers were on a horse-drawn wagon. The officers were guiding the horses while the soldiers were at the back of the wagon, guarding it. David managed to catch a glimpse of what was inside the wagon. There were many weapons inside. David smiled and put his hood on.

Right after putting his hood on, David followed the wagon. He had to admit, fighting and running with his old Assassin robes was much easier than fighting in plainclothes. David was walking quickly and not running among the crowd so the soldiers could not see him.

In less than a minute, David was within reach of the wagon. He leaped and grabbed hold of the back of the wagon. David hoisted himself up onto the wagon and threw one of the soldiers out of the wagon. The second soldier turned to face David and drew his sword. He was about to shout something when David covered his mouth and pushed the soldier out of the wagon

David crept up on one of the British officers and kicked him off the wagon. The other British officer hastily pulled his pistol out. Before the officer could aim the pistol at David, he snatched the pistol from the officer and punched him out of the wagon. David rode the wagon back to the mercenaries' hideout in Richmond Town.

About an hour later, David arrived at the mercenaries' hideout. He called Joseph out. Joseph came out a few seconds later along with four other mercenaries. The mercenaries got into the wagon and began bringing the weapons back into the building.

"By the gods, I thought you were joking! After meeting you that day I thought I would never see you again. To think you actually came back, with so many weapons!"

David told Joseph, "I kept my promise. David asked, "How did you get so many weapons in less than a week?"

"I stole a British Army wagon," David told him the truth. Joseph was thoroughly surprised. "Are you shitting me?"

Shaking his head, David explained, "I saw the wagon in New Dorp. I threw four British Army men off the wagon and rode it back here. No one killed."

"The Army won't be able to identify you?" David nodded. "It took less than half a minute. I was wearing a hood too."

"In any case, I give you my thanks, David."


	4. Chapter 4 - Meeting the Assassins

Three days later, David was in Manhattan, on his way to New York harbour. He had heard that an Assassin known as Chevalier was in town. David had heard of Chevalier's name before, but that was around a decade ago. Chevalier was the captain of a Man O' War called the Gerfaut.

At the harbour, David walked to the Gerfaut and asked one of the men, "May I know where is Captain Chevalier?" The man nodded. "Ah, yes. Captain Chevalier, you are talking about him. Yes, he is on the ship now. Why do you ask for his location?"

"I wish to ask him something important. He should know him. We were…acquaintances," David explained. The man told David, "Wait here for a while. I will request for Captain Chevalier to meet you. May I know your name?"

David considered for a second or two. Chevalier would probably not recognise his real name and as a result he might not want to see him. David decided to use the name of an Assassin he was sure Chevalier would know. "Achilles Davenport."

The man hurried on board the ship and disappeared from David's view. Less than two minutes later, Chevalier showed up. Upon seeing David's face, he drew his sword. "You are not Achilles Davenport. Who are you? Tell me before I slaughter you."

"Calm down Assassin. I am David Corsei, former Assassin. Achilles is another acquaintance of mine." Chevalier relaxed a little, but he did not sheath his sword. "Explain to me, how is the Mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood your acquaintance?"  
David raised an eyebrow. "He's the Mentor? I am surprised. I met him more than ten years ago, when he was still under the training of Ah Tabai. The last time I met him was in 1743, I believe. We were taking down a fort owned by the late Master Templar John Hopaase."

Chevalier paused for a while, processing what David has said into his mind. "Yes, I remember you now. Mentor Davenport has talked about you. And I should inform you, Ah Tabai is dead. He died less than five years back, I believe."

David swore. "Well I'll be damned. Ah Tabai is dead."

"And why did you ask for me, former Assassin?" David got straight to the point. "There is a female rather well-known in the New York underworld. She was a pickpocket before 1746, but after that she rose up the ranks pretty quickly. Her surname is Jensen, if I am not wrong. Do you know anything about her?"

"I think I know who you are talking about. She is Hope Jensen, an Assassin. Mentor Davenport met her in 1746 and was impressed by her strength of will and skills in pickpocketing. Hope was inducted into the Order a year after."

"Thank you for telling me. If there's nothing else to say, I'll be going now."

"Halt! I have a request," Chevalier said. He passed David a rolled-up letter, held together by a ribbon string. "Pass this to Hope Jensen as quickly as possible."

David nodded and left. He went straight to a gang hideout in Manhattan that he knew was led by Hope. He told the man guarding the entrance to the hideout, "I am looking for Miss Jensen."

"No one goes by that name here. I guess this is not the place." David said, "If you meet anyone with that name, tell her these words. Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

The man's eyes widened. "Come in."

A few minutes later, he met face-to-face with Hope Jensen. "One of my most trusted lieutenants, Daryl, brought you in after you said the words 'Nothing is true, everything is permitted'. You must be affiliated with the Assassins."

"Indeed. An Assassin I was until 1743. I am an acquaintance of Achilles Davenport and knew Ah Tabai personally. I heard Ah Tabai died a while back."

Hope nodded. "It is saddening news, even until today. Ah Tabai is a big name in the Assassin Brotherhood, especially in the Caribbean and here in America. Anyway, why are you here?"

David passed the letter to Hope. "It is from Captain Chevalier." Hope read the letter and told David, "Thank you for passing the letter. What is your name, former Assassin?"

"My name is David. I came to look for you because I know you are a gang leader. I have a partnership with a mercenary known as Joseph Caysee. He was originally part of the Warriors of New York but he has broken away from them and started a new organisation."

"I have heard of the news, yes. He took over the Warriors' forces on Staten Island after their leader, John Caesar, was killed."

David revealed, "I was the one who killed Caesar. I figured that if I were to launch a good attack against the Warriors, I needed an ally. John Caesar was known for treating his mercenaries badly, so I killed him and spoke with his second-in-command, who was Joseph. Joseph had been a lieutenant in the late Assassin Victor Rackham's gang."

"After forming a partnership with him, he requested for me to get some weapons for them, as their weapons were in bad condition. I hijacked a British Army wagon carrying weapons and brought it back to Joseph's hideout. I heard that there was a female figure named Jensen quite high-up in the New York underworld, which was you, and I wanted to meet you to form an alliance."

"That's good, David. Because the Warriors of New York are a real pain in the side. If they are gone, I could be one of the most powerful people in New York, or even all the British colonies. That way I can gather more information for the Order."

David smiled. "You have goals, and your goals are not exactly impossible. It is good to have goals, even when you're still considered young. How old are you this year, Hope? My guess is that you are eighteen."

"Sixteen I am this year."

"So you want your partnership? I agree, but on one condition. There is a small-time writer allied with the Templars living in the town of Vlissingen in Queens County. The writer spends his time writing stories. In his stories, he makes the characters who resemble Templars become heroes. His name is Carl, and I want you to kill him. Come back with some of his documents as proof that you've killed him."


	5. Chapter 5 - Removing the Outpost

The next day, David set off to Vlissingen. By the time he reached the village of Newtown, it was already sunset. David decided to rest at an inn in the village for the night before continuing the next day. In the morning, David rented a horse from a small business in the village and rode for half an hour before reaching Flushing. David tied the horse at the town center before going to look for Carl. It did not take long to find him as he was sort of a local celebrity.

David went to Carl's house and knocked on the door. A butler answered the door. "I am looking for Mister Carl? I wish to do some business with him."

The butler said, "A few moments please." He closed the door and went to look for Carl. One minute later, the butler opened the door again and allowed David into the house. "Mister Carl will be here in a while. Please wait," the butler then disappeared into the kitchen.

A while later, Carl showed up and shook hands with David. "Pleased to meet you, Mister Carl. I've heard lots about you." Carl lowered his head a little as a sign of thanks and sat down. "I heard from my butler that you wish to do some business with me?"

"Indeed, your works I find are good. America should come to know of this writer named Carl who writes good stories. Especially those making those damn Assassins look bad."

Carl was surprised. "You know of the Assassins and Templars?" David nodded and feigned an angry expression. "The Assassins are idiots, in my opinion."

Carl chuckled as the butler served them drinks. He joked, "You are right. But you look like an Assassin, I have to say. Your robes, and the hilt at your side. Sooner or later you're going to show me a Hidden Blade!"

He forced a chuckle and said, "You will not find a Hidden Blade on me." Carl then asked, "May I know your name?"

"Of course! My client should know my name," David paused for a moment, quickly thinking up of a fake name. "Haytham is my name. Haytham Kenway."

"Haytham Kenway! It is a pleasure to see you. You should have told me your name earlier. Are you not the apprentice of Grand Master Reginald Birch?"

David remembered about Reginald Birch. "You are correct. I came to America to help out the Colonial Templars. They are weak now, and are in need of help. May I see your study?

"Sure," Carl then led David to his study.

In the study, Carl showed David his upcoming work. "I think this story will be finished in a month or two. Would you like to read it?"

David accepted and pretended to read the story. Halfway through, David swiftly drew his sword and slashed Carl's chest. Carl fell on the floor. David sheathed his sword, folded the papers and kept it. While Carl's life ebbed away, David searched the pile of papers on the table for more documents. He took a few more pieces of paper and tucked it away in his robes.

"Rest in peace, writer," David muttered as he left the study.

Two days later, David returned to Manhattan. He went to Hope Jensen's base and gave her the papers. "It is done. Carl is dead," David said as he sat down.

Hope took the papers and quickly read through some of them. "Thank you, David. You shall have your alliance. After all, are we all not tied to the Assassin Order? We should work together so as to achieve more."

David nodded. Hope informed him, "I wish to pay a visit to Joseph Caysee on Staten Island, but it is dangerous. There are other gang members and even Templars who wish to kill me. I am not saying that my people are useless. I am saying that my people may not be skilful enough. Will you protect me on my journey to Staten Island?"

"Of course. After all, I intend to return there."

"Terrific. When shall we depart?" Hope asked. David replied, "I will return here tomorrow morning. Then we shall depart. I still have a few matters to attend to."

David returned to his apartment and looked through his papers to find for someone to kill. He feared that since he had not killed a member of the Warriors for a while, they would be able to recover and retaliate. David decided on a target, who was a Sergeant in the Warriors of New York. His target, Olaf, maintained a Warriors of New York outpost in a town called Rye, which was also located in the province of New York, north of Manhattan.

After deciding on his target, David quickly set off for Rye. He reached the town two hours later on horseback. By then it was mid-afternoon. David had less than three hours to find and kill Olaf.

Fifteen minutes later, David found the Warriors of New York outpost. The small one-floor building had the gang's insignia above the front door. David knocked on the door and a Warrior of New York came.

"Who are you?" asked the man impatiently. David pretended to be annoyed by the man and replied, "You fool! I've come from Manhattan to see how this outpost is doing. I am Lieutenant Jay."

The man took a bow and apologised, "Sorry, sir. If only I had known – " David interrupted the man by saying, "Just shut up and let me in." The man stepped to one side as David entered the building. As the man walked in behind him, David suddenly turned around, grabbed the man's head and slammed it against the wall. The man fell into unconsciousness as David pushed him out of the building. David closed the door and went further into the outpost.

Another Warrior had been attracted by the noise of the first man's head hitting the wall. He saw David, pulled a short knife out and asked, "What was that noise? And who the hell are you?"

"Stay your blade. I am a friend. Lieutenant Jay of the Warriors of New York in Manhattan. I came to see how our members in Rye are doing. The noise was of your comrade shutting the door. He went outside to take a walk."

He put away the knife. "Take a walk, you say? Well, he'll be damned when he comes back." David walked calmly towards the Warrior. He extended a hand, thinking that David was going to shake his hand. Instead, David took the guy's hand and twisted it hard. He retreated while holding his injured hand.

David moved to the retreating Warrior and pulled the man's twisted hand. The man howled in pain as he was pulled closer to David. David held the man's shirt to keep him from moving and punched him in the stomach thrice. David saw that the man was already unconscious so he lay the Warrior on the floor.

Two more Warriors of New York arrived, and seeing the unconscious body of their comrade, they unsheathed their daggers. "I do not wish to fight you. But if you insist, I will," David told the Warriors. One of them sneered and charged. David sidestepped the first Warrior's sword strike and kicked his thigh. The second Warrior entered the battle to defend his comrade as he recovered. David rolled away from the vicious slash and pulled out his Queen Anne pistol. David had not used his pistol in years but he was certain that he could kill the Warriors at that close range.

"If you continue attacking me, I will shoot you all dead. However, if you surrender and leave now, I shall spare you two." Upon finishing his sentence, the two Warriors dropped their weapons and fled.

No one else attacked David until he got to the first floor. Five Warriors of New York ambushed David as he entered the hallway of the first floor. Ducking from an attack, David punched the jaw of the first Warrior and kneed him hard in the crotch. The first Warrior fell as David punched the second Warrior in the stomach. David came up from his crouch and jump-kicked the third Warrior in the chest. The third Warrior toppled on the second Warrior. As the second Warrior tried to push the third one aside, David elbowed the top of the second Warrior's head. The third Warrior ended up lying sideways on top of the second Warrior.

The fourth and fifth Warriors of New York attacked David at once. David felt that he was getting tired so he unsheathed his sword. But still David fought carefully, not wanting to kill but only injuring the Warriors of New York.

Less than a minute later, David encountered Sergeant Olaf, guarded by another two Warriors of New York. He saw the five bodies in the hallway and shook his head. "You bloody murderer."

"I didn't kill them. They're merely unconscious," David said as he stabbed the first Warrior in the chest. He kicked the second Warrior hard in the stomach and while he was recovering, David ejected his Hidden Blade and plunged it into Olaf's heart. He put away his weapons and left the building.


	6. Chapter 6 - Enemy Attack

The next morning, David went to meet Hope Jensen. However, four Warriors of New York had formed a ring around the entrance of the gang hideout. David walked up to one of the Warriors and asked, "Excuse me, good sir. May I know why you are blocking the entrance to this particular building?" The first Warrior replied, "Curiosity killed the cat, mister. I advise you to stay away from here, now."

Snick. David plunged the Hidden Blade into the first Warrior of New York's stomach. David pulled the Hidden Blade out of the Warrior and he fell lifelessly. The other three Warriors saw the dead body on the ground and unsheathed daggers. David pulled his basket-hilted sword out and battled the Warriors.

Using his sword, David parried a blow from the third Warrior. That Warrior was much stronger than David and was overpowering the parry. At the last moment, David rolled away and slashed the third Warrior's back. To finish him off, David thrust his Hidden Blade into his back. David saw the second Warrior pulling out a pistol. He quickly grabbed the fourth Warrior and pulled the Warrior to him just before the second man fired the pistol. The round buried itself in the fourth Warrior's chest. David pushed the dying fourth Warrior to the ground and slit his throat with David's Hidden Blade, giving him a quick death.

The second Warrior realised that he was the last one standing and paled. However, the Warrior decided to make his final stand against David. The second Warrior held two knives and was ready to face David.

David charged towards the second Warrior. Charging until within an arms' length of the Warrior, David spun to one side, dodging the Warrior's knife attacks. David lodged his sword in the second Warrior's shoulder blade. He managed to pull the sword out after a few seconds. The second Warrior stumbled away from David, not wanting to fight anymore. David pulled out his Queen Anne pistol and shot the second Warrior in the back. With the four mercenaries dead, David entered the hideout.

The hideout was in chaos. Hope's men had formed a barricade near the staircase to the other floors with furniture. They were trying to fight off the ten Warriors of New York trying to get through the barricade. David crept up behind the group of Warriors and killed two Warriors at once. Then they realised David was there.

David kicked an incoming Warrior in the chest with all his strength. The Warrior stumbled backwards, resulting in a domino effect. In the end, there were three Warriors on the floor, and the one at the bottom of the pile was dead, but the other two were not. David thrust his sword into the pile, to ensure that all three Warriors were dead.

After thirty seconds of fighting, the battle was over. The Warriors of New York lay dead on the floor and David was clutching his injured forearm. Two of Hope's men moved some furniture to allow David to access the staircase. David got to the second floor and met up with Hope.

"Is your arm alright, David?" Hope asked. David nodded. "The wound isn't too deep. I just need a damn bandage." Hope nodded and ordered one of the men guarding the room, "Get a bandage for him." The man bowed slightly and left the room.

Hope remarked, "You must be damn good there, David. I heard you killed fourteen Warriors of New York today. Who in the world trained you?"

David tried to count the number of people he killed today. "You're right, damn it. Fourteen people! I should reduce the number of people I kill today. I'm thirty-three this year, for Christ's sake. If I keep killing so many people a day, I'll get myself killed before I reach forty." Hope laughed. "Are we still going to Staten Island today?"

"Of course, an injured arm isn't going to stop me," David said. "Once I'm bandaged I'll rest for an hour maximum. Then we'll go to Staten Island."


	7. Chapter 7 - Arrival at Staten Island

Forty-five minutes later, they set off to Staten Island. In order not to attract attention, Hope and two of her men were dressed in civilian attire. David still wore his Assassin's robes, but left his sword at his apartment. To compensate for the lack of his sword, Hope gave David a second Queen Anne's pistol, which David holstered at his waist, under his navy blue robes.

"We'll have to head to New Utrecht, which is in Brooklyn. There, we'll see. If it's not too late, we can travel the remaining distance to Staten Island. If not, we'll rest there for the night and travel the next day," David told Hope as the four exited the hideout. Hope led David into the alleyway next to the hideout. Four horses were tethered to a pole. "This is our ride."

The horses cantered for an hour and a half before the group reached a small dock in Lower Manhattan. It did not take long before they found a boat that would take them to another dock that was near New Utrecht. David negotiated with the Captain of the schooner on the price. They eventually settled on six sterling pounds.

Forty-five minutes later, the schooner arrived at the dock on Brooklyn. David paid the Captain the six pounds and the group left the schooner. After another ten minutes of horse-riding, the four reached New Utrecht. It was mid-afternoon when they reached New Utrecht, but David knew that they would not be able to reach Richmond Town by nightfall.

"We'll rest for the day," David told Hope and the two gang members. They nodded in reply. Hope said, "Well then, I suppose we have to look for a place to stay tonight, unless we're planning to sleep on the streets." Thus, the four walked around New Utrecht, looking for an inn or a tavern to stay.

As they walked around New Utrecht, five local thugs approached David and Hope. The two gang members were watching the scene from a distance, waiting for the correct time to strike. "You got a hot lass with you, eh?" one of the thugs questioned. "She's going to be mine tonight. I hope her looks are as good as her skills in bed!"

David raised an eyebrow as the five thugs pulled out daggers. "Go away now, and you'll be unharmed," David warned. The thugs laughed as they attacked. David kicked the first thug in the genitals and as the thug paced backwards, he balled his fists and punched the thug hard in his right cheek. The first thug tried to land a strike on David, but David grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm.

The first thug retreated swiftly and the other thugs distracted David as he did so. David ducked from an incoming dagger and gave an uppercut punch to the third thug's jaw, who was also the one who had tried to stab him. The third thug fell into unconsciousness the moment his brain hit his skull. The second thug dragged his partner's unconscious body away while the fourth thug went to support the fifth thug, who was battling Hope. At that moment, the two gang members entered the battle.

Five seconds after the two gang members intervened, the fourth thug was unconscious and the fifth thug was dead. David turned to the second thug, who was still busy dragging the third thug's body away. David pulled a Queen Anne pistol out and aimed it at the second thug. Upon seeing David's pistol, the second thug dropped his partner's body and fled.

A few minutes later, they found a tavern to stay and fortunately, there were rooms available for them to stay in. The group settled in the three rooms they had booked – the two gang members in the first room, Hope in the second room and David in the third room.

The next morning, they set off from New Utrecht to Richmond Town. They reached Richmond Town in the late afternoon, just around an hour before sunset. David led the group to Joseph's mercenary hideout. A mercenary answered the door, saw David and allowed them into the building. Joseph Caysee was delighted to see them, especially David.

"My friend! I have good things to tell you! Good and bad news, actually. And who are the people you've brought along with you?"

David introduced Hope and the two gang members to Joseph. Joseph bowed at Hope. "It is pleased to meet you, Miss Jensen." Hope nodded as an acknowledgement and told Joseph, "Stop with the formalities. It is making me uncomfortable. And just call me Hope."

Joseph nodded and gestured for them to take a seat. "Okay, good news first. Our numbers have increased to fifty, and that is including our people in New Dorp. I know it is small, compared to Miss Je- Hope's gang, but it is something for a new mercenary leader."

"Now to the bad news. We need training. Our weapons shortage has been satisfied by you, David, but now we need to properly train the mercenaries. The mercenaries are skilled enough to hold back the local thugs and all, but they will be beaten soundly by the Warriors of New York. And also, I've got intel that the Warriors of New York has heard about John Caesar's death. The top dog's going to send people over to investigate."

David swore. "This is a problem." Hope offered, "I can send people to train you all, but only if you form a partnership with my organisation." Joseph agreed immediately. "Who wouldn't want to form a partnership with you, Hope? You're one of the most powerful people in New York!"

Hope nodded as a thank you to Joseph and asked, "What about the Warriors that are coming over? I don't think the mercenaries can be properly trained before the Warriors come over."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to fight them. Hope, Joseph, you two, will you all help me fight them?" They all nodded. One of the gang members said, "After all, our enemies are the same. Why shouldn't we help?"


	8. Chapter 8 - Defending the Mercenaries

Two days later, the Warriors came. In the morning, a mercenary scout rushed into the hideout. "The Warriors of New York are coming! Ten of them are on their way, about ten minutes' walk from here."

The defending party quickly gathered at the hideout's ground floor. One of the Warriors knocked the door soon after. Joseph put a finger to his lips and muttered, just loud enough for the other defenders to hear, "David, Hope, go round the back to ambush them. And be quick."

David and Hope rushed off. Joseph then asked, "Who is it?" One of the Warriors replied, "We're the Warriors. Who are you? And open up!"

"I'm Caysee! Joseph Caysee! Second-in-command to John Caesar." Another Warrior shouted, "Open the damn door then, Joseph!"

Joseph walked slowly towards the door and unlocked it. By then, David and Hope had reached the end of the alleyway and could see the ten Warriors. David and Hope timed the moment correctly, striking the moment when Joseph opened the door.

David ejected his Hidden Blade and Hope drew a shortsword. They moved and engaged the eight Warriors. David quickly stabbed the first Warrior twice in the stomach. As the other Warriors unsheathed their weapons, David drew a pistol and shot a musket-wielding Warrior. The round buried itself in the Warrior's collarbone. The musketeer was moving backwards when he felt Joseph's sword rip through his flesh and muscle, which guaranteed a quick death for him.

The battle was over faster than they imagined. A minute and a half after David killed the first Warrior, all the Warriors of New York were dead. But one of the gang members was injured. David and the other gang member kept their weapons and helped the injured gang member into the hideout.

Half an hour later, David, Hope and Joseph met in the latter's office. "I can't thank you all enough for helping me. Without you all, my mercenary organisation would've been destroyed!" Joseph thanked David and Hope. David nodded as a reply. Hope asked, "How is he? Will he be alright?"

Joseph answered, "A flesh wound only, luckily. But the flesh wound is rather bad. I reckon that he has to stay for five days maximum."

Hope then told David, "You can go back to Manhattan. I'll stay here with my men."

"Alright then. I'll take my leave now," David stood up and said before leaving, "I'll meet you all in a few months or so."


	9. Chapter 9 - Spanish Imposter

Almost half a year passed, and it was now June in 1749. David had spent the past few months completely eliminating the Warriors of New York outpost in the town of Rye and in another town which took two hours' for a horse to canter from New York.

David was at his apartment when someone knocked on his door. That's strange, who would knock my door? As far as I know, no one else knows where I live, David thought. With his Hidden Blade equipped, David moved over to the door, ready to release his Hidden Blade when needed. A man in his mid-twenties was outside, wearing orange clothing. What caught David's eye was that the man had the Assassin insignia on the shoulder area of his clothing.

"You were sent by Miss Jensen, I suppose?" David asked. The man nodded. "She requires you at the base at once."

The man led David to the gang hideout. He met Hope and she motioned for him to sit. Taking a seat, David queried, "Why do you need me now?"

Hope replied, "Two weeks ago, I received news that a Spanish man was asking around for you and Achilles Davenport. The Spanish man is named Juan Vedomir. I asked some of my Assassin allies and discovered that Juan Vedomir is a Templar who was supposed to be dead, killed by the Templar Haytham Kenway two years ago. Juan was murdered because he had possession of Edward Kenway's journal and was secretly helping the Assassins in Europe."

"That is indeed strange. So what do you want to do with Juan Vedomir?"

"Find him and bring him here, alive. Preferably unconscious or blindfolded. If he's just an imposter, we don't want him knowing our location."

David searched New York for four days before finding Juan. He walked up to Juan and asked, "I've heard you're looking for someone, Mister Vedomir. May I be of assistance to you?"

Juan nodded. "I am looking for two people, a man called Achilles Davenport and another man known as David. Do you know any of them?"

"There are many Davids here in New York City. But I think I may know of this Achilles Davenport," David lied to Juan. "I know where Mister Davenport used to live. Perhaps I can lead you there to help you?"

"Yes, thank you!" Juan took a bow. "And may I ask, how do you know of Achilles Davenport?"

David lied again, "I remember selling him some of my goods while he was here in New York."

While leading Juan down an alleyway, David suddenly turned around and knocked him unconscious. "Sorry lad," David apologised as he carried Juan to the gang hideout.

A while later, Juan woke up to find himself blindfolded. But he found it strange that he was not tied up. David told Juan, "Take off your blindfold, and I'll goddamn shoot you." To prove that he had a pistol, David pressed the end of the pistol against Juan's temple.

Hope then asked, "Are you Juan Vedomir, the Templar who was aiding the Assassins in Europe?" Juan nodded repeatedly, and Hope continued, "I thought you were killed two years ago."

Juan explained, "Haytham Kenway killed a body double. I knew that by working with the Assassins, my life was in danger. I found someone who looked like me and paid him to pose as me."

"I see, but why did you not go to the other Assassin chapters in Europe? Why come to America?'

"I had heard of this Achilles Davenport and David while in Europe, so I wanted to seek their help."

Hope looked at David and he shook his head. David questioned Juan, "What are the tenets of the Order?"

They saw Juan falter for just a moment. "Do…don't kill an innocent and never compro…compromise the Order."

"Anymore?" Juan shook his head. "No more."

David again took out his pistol. "An imposter you are! Tell me who sent you here, and I'll probably spare you."

'Juan' stammered, "Wha…what are you talking about! I am Juan Vedomir!"

"How are you an Assassin or a Templar if you don't know the tenets of the Assassin Order?" David pressed his pistol harder on 'Juan''s temple. "Tell me the truth."

"A…a man called Reginald Bir…Birch sent me here to foo…fool the Assassins here. Regi…nald told me the names of two of the Assassins, Achilles Daven…Davenport and Da…vid."

"I see," David said as he fired a round from his pistol. The round buried itself in 'Juan''s thigh. 'Juan' howled in agony before falling into unconsciousness. Hope brought in two gang members and ordered them, "Throw the imposter onto the streets. Preferably in some alleyway a few streets from here, this way he won't find out where he was brought."

The two gang members nodded, untied 'Juan' and dragged him out of the room. "The Templars are getting smarter now, David. We need to be on our guard," Hope remarked. David nodded. "Hope, you should inform the other Assassins in the area, especially Achilles. Achilles knows where all the Assassins in America are located, and he can send the news out to them faster than you could."

"Indeed. I will personally go to the Davenport Homestead to bring the news to Achilles." David raised an eyebrow. "Davenport Homestead? What is that?"

Hope explained, "After Achilles became Mentor in 1746, he built the Davenport Homestead as the main base for the Colonial Assassins. But Achilles also has a house in New York, and I believe that is where he is staying now. Let us go to his house now."


	10. Chapter 10 - Reunion

Achilles Davenport heard his door being knocked. He got up and walked to the door. "Who is it?" he asked. A voice replied, "Mentor, it is me." Achilles instantly recognised the voice to be Hope Jensen's.

Unlocking and opening the door, Achilles found Hope and a hooded man next to her. "Who is he?" Achilles questioned Hope as he pointed at the other man.

The man laughed. "I am hurt, Achilles. How could you not recognise me? Look at me carefully." The man lifted his hood and looked Achilles in the face.

"David Corsei, it is good to see you," Achilles smiled. "It has been years now. Come in, come in!"

Both David and Hope entered the house. Achilles shut and locked the door. "Do you two want any drinks?" They politely refused and Achilles sat down to catch up with them.

"How did you find Hope, David? And when did you start doing all this business? I thought you gave up the life of an Assassin after killing John Hopaase," Achilles asked.

David replied, "The Warriors of New York, Achilles. They are the biggest mercenary organisation in the province of New York. I started battling against them in 1747, I believe, when I encountered a group of them harassing a lady on the street. One of the mercenaries in the group was wearing a Templar ring. In 1748, I met with a man called Joseph Caysee, who used to be a lieutenant in Victor Rackham's gang. Joseph then started a small mercenary organisation to counter the Warriors. I wanted to find Hope, who I knew as Miss Jensen then, to form a partnership. After a while, I found the Assassin Chevalier at the New York port. He told me where Hope was."

"Quick you are, David," Achilles commended. "Now, to the present day. Why are you and Hope here?'

Hope informed, "A man posing as Juan Vedomir came looking for you and David. David knocked him out and brought him to my gang hideout. After some questioning, he admitted that he was an imposter, and the Templar Grand Master Reginald Birch had sent him here."

"Reginald Birch, you say? So now the British Templars are interfering? This is bad news. It looks like the Templars are starting to rise again. I will contact the other Assassin chapters to warn them," Achilles said.

David left Achilles's house soon after, but Hope chose to stay for a while more. He returned to his apartment and began searching for a target to kill.

That night, David followed his target, a sheriff from the New York Sheriff's Office. The sheriff, Wallace Grisham, was an ally of the Warriors of New York. Wallace seemed to know what he was being followed, as he was constantly turning around to see if anyone was behind him. David was almost impossible to see, as his navy blue robes helped him to blend into the darkness of the night.

A few minutes later, Wallace turned into an alleyway. David reckoned that he was trying to draw David into a trap. David climbed up the building next to the alleyway and continued following Wallace, but this time from the rooftops.

Wallace suddenly turned around and pulled a pistol out, only to realise there was no one behind. While Wallace was scanning the entrance to the alleyway, David climbed down the building and crept up behind Wallace.

David released his Hidden Blade and pressed the flat part of it against Wallace's neck. Wallace growled. "What the hell do you want? For your information, I am a sheriff! I will have you arrested!"

"Hello, Mister Wallace Grisham. So you are a sheriff, but unfortunately, I do not care. I was sent by your friends to kill you." Wallace shook his head slightly. "My sheriff colleagues will never send people to kill me!"

"What about the Warriors of New York?" David whispered into Wallace's ear. "You have outlived your usefulness, Mister Grisham."

David then slit Wallace's throat and threw him onto the ground before the blood could get on David's robes. Searching Wallace's body, David took his satchel and looked into it. David counted the coins in the satchel before putting the satchel of twenty pound sterlings in his robes. David then walked away.


	11. Chapter 11 - Bounty Hunter Begone

David could not find anyone else on his list to kill, so he took a short break. In September 1749, David had news that one of the targets, a Warriors of New York bounty hunter named Constantine Konig was on Staten Island.

A day and a half later, David had reached Staten Island. He rushed over to the mercenary hideout, but it had been turned into an eatery. David entered the eatery and asked the owner, a man in his late fifties, "Where is the previous owner of this building?"

The owner shook his head. "Honestly, I do not know. He sold me this building for a high price, two hundred pounds! I thought the place was a good location, so I bought it immediately. But soon after I bought this place, hooligans continuously visited the place, asking for two men called David and Joseph Caysee."

"I could help you get rid of the hooligans," David offered. The owner was uncertain. "Are you sure? They seem pretty well armed."

"No problem," David motioned to his sword. "I'll just wait here until they come."

Two hours later, three Warriors of New York entered the eatery. The leader of the group banged the table. "Hello, owner. Where is the protection fee? And have you found where David and Joseph Caysee are?"

The owner shook his head and quickly produced a satchel. As the leader stretched his hand to take the satchel, David struck. Taking out his sword and Hidden Blade, David moved over to the counter. He slashed the second Warrior with his sword and plunged the Hidden Blade into the third Warrior. David pulled his weapons out of the bodies and watched the two Warriors fall. The first Warrior turned around and saw his two men dead.

"Why are you looking for David and Joseph Caysee?" asked David as he pointed his sword at the Warrior leader. The Warrior sneered. "None of your damn business, lad."

The Warrior drew his sword and attacked David. David kept his Hidden Blade and at the same time, used his basket-hilted sword to parry the Warrior's sword strike. David stepped on one of the Warrior's foot hard.

The Warrior moved to his left, since there was no space to move back. David grabbed the Warrior's head and pushed it against the wall. David then knocked the Warrior's sword away.

"Why are you looking for them?" David questioned as he held the Warrior at knifepoint. The Warrior spat at David's face. David retaliated by kneeing him in the crotch. "I'm the one in power here, so you better start talking."

After the Warrior finished groaning in pain, he told David, "My boss is looking for them." David asked, "Is your shitty boss Constantine Konig?"

"How did you know?" the Warrior's eyes widened. David released his grip on the Warrior and warned, "If you or your little friends come back here, you'll be damn sorry."

The Warrior hurried out of the eatery and David followed him. The Warrior kept running for a few minutes until he entered a building. David followed the Warrior into the building.

He knocked on the door. "Mister Konig! Mister Konig!" Constantine Konig opened the door. "What is it? Have you found them?"

"No, I haven't. But there's bad news, sir. A hooded man killed two of my men. I was lucky to survive." Constantine asked, "Where?"

"The building you told me to go to, sir. It is now an eatery," the Warrior replied. Constantine told the man, "Wait for a while. I'll get my equipment."

Exactly one and a half minute later, Constantine reappeared. He was armed with two swords – one at each side of his waist and had five throwing knives on his clothes. "Let's go."

David drew both of his Queen Anne pistols. He fired the first pistol at Constantine's forehead and the second one at the Warrior's chest. He walked up to the bodies and made sure that both of them were dead. David then started searching Richmond Town for the new mercenary's hideout.

Fifteen minutes after he started searching for the new mercenary's hideout, David saw the mercenary second-in-command, Patrick O'Finnegan. He went up to Patrick and asked, "Patrick, where's the new damn base? I went to the old one and found out that it became an eatery."

Patrick smiled. "I apologise, sir. Follow me. I'll bring you to the new hideout."

The new hideout was a street away from the old mercenary hideout. David went into the building and looked for Joseph. "Hello, David! I have to apologise, I forgot to tell you we moved our base to here."

David said, "No matter. I came here because I was hunting down the bounty hunter Constantine Konig. He was looking for you and I. Luckily, I killed him less than an hour ago."

"Well, I guess I should thank you then. And now I have to trouble you again."

"No problem. You can trouble me anytime."

Joseph explained, "The mercenary group's numbers have risen to around 300. Our fame, or infamy, has also risen. As a result, there is a mole in our organisation." He looked around, making sure there was no one else around, then said softly, "The mole is one of our female lieutenants, Anne O'Neemas. She's half-Irish, and the problem is that she's well-liked within the organisation. If you or I simply killed her, the men would lose morale."

David understood what Joseph was trying to say. "I get what you mean. Where does she live?" Joseph led David into his office and wrote the address down onto a small slip of paper. After the ink dried, David put the paper in his pocket.


	12. Chapter 12 - Anne O'Neemas

David went and waited outside the apartment Anne lived in. He waited until evening, when Anne returned to her apartment. Once David spotted her, he went up to her and knocked her unconscious. David carried Anne and brought her to the roof of her apartment building.

On the roof, David dragged Anne's body to the edge and released his Hidden Blade. "Sorry, fellow mercenary. But you are a traitor, and traitors have to die." David searched Anne and found a dagger and a note. Seeing the dagger, David kept his Hidden Blade and instead used the dagger to slit Anne's wrists. After making sure Anne was not breathing anymore, David placed the dagger in her hand. David looked around the building from the roof and saw five men walking towards the building. Examining them closely, David saw that they were armed.

David climbed down the building and read the note while walking. After he finished reading the note, David tucked it into his robes. The note was from Anne's Templar contact, who had signed off as 'Zeus'. The note stated the location and timing for Anne to meet the contact.

Fifteen minutes later, David sat down at the bar and ordered himself a glass of beer. He sipped from the beer as he scanned the bar for anyone who could be the Templar contact. David saw a bearded man a few tables away, who was not drinking anything and seemed to be waiting for someone. Examining him closely, David saw that the man was wearing a Templar ring.

At the same time, the bearded man spotted a clean-shaven man looking at him. The man looked like a fairly wealthy businessman to him, but his clothing seemed like an Assassin's. The bearded man caught David's eyes looking at his hands. The bearded man determined that the other man was an Assassin and that he was there to kill him, a Templar. And he was right.

The bearded Templar reached for his pistol while David pulled out his pistol. Both stood up and aimed the pistols at one another. "Damn Assassin, you're here to kill me, are ya? Ya probably killed Anne too, you bastard!" the Templar snarled.

David retorted, "Of course I did! We Assassins are stronger than the Templars in America. We knew about O'Neemas! Luckily, she was killed before she became too much of a pain!"

The bearded Templar opened his mouth to say something, but David had fired a round into the Templar's throat. The force of the round hitting the bearded Templar's throat caused him to tip the chair backwards. The bearded Templar ended up on the floor, his blood getting on the chair.

David stood up and walked over to the Templar. He knelt and searched the dying Templar and took his Templar ring and money. David got up, kept the money, ring and his pistol and walked out of the bar.

David returned to the mercenary hideout and saw that Joseph Caysee and a group of mercenaries were at the ground floor. All were sitting and discussing about things. David asked, "Why are you all here?"

Joseph looked up at David and informed, "Lieutenant Anne O'Neemas was found dead half an hour ago. She was found holding her dagger and her wrists were slit. Looks like she killed herself."

One of the mercenaries sobbed as he said, "Impossible! Why would Anne kill herself! This must be a set-up!" David told the group, "I will try my best to hunt the killer, if there is one."

Joseph took a small bow at David. "Thank you, David."


	13. Chapter 13 - Apartment Raid

David headed back to Manhattan the next day. When he was nearing his apartment, David saw that his door was open. David swiftly put his hood on, released his Hidden Blade and drew a pistol. Making his footsteps as quiet as he could, David moved over to his apartment.

"Anything?" one voice asked. Another voice replied, "Not yet, sir." The first voice, who was probably more senior, barked, "Then hurry up and search! The damn Assassin could return at any time!"

David peeped into his apartment and saw a lone armed man watching the entrance. David suddenly appeared at the entrance and fired a shot at the lone man. The other intruders heard the gunshot and rushed to the living room.

"Damn it, someone's here! Get ready!" the senior voice ordered. David heard sounds of weapons being taken out. The leader shouted, "Whoever you are! Show your bloody self!" While the leader shouted, David replaced his pistol with his basket-hilted sword.

Seconds later, two men entered the corridor. David thrust his Hidden Blade into the first man's solar plexus and kicked the second man hard in the crotch. Someone inside had fired a shot and it had nearly hit David's leg. David pulled the Hidden Blade out of the first man and moved closer to the second man. Deflecting a sword strike from the second man, David used his Hidden Blade to slash him across the chest.

The second man died and David used the dead body as a human shield as he entered his apartment. None of the intruders dared to move, as they thought their comrade was still alive. David pulled out his other Queen Anne pistol, unseen because of the human shield blocking the view. David looked and saw three intruders, including the leader. He fired a round into the first intruder. David swiftly kept his pistol and brought back out his sword, plunging it into the second intruder's chest.

Only the leader of the intruders remained. David threw the human shield aside and held the leader at knifepoint. "Who sent you?" The leader shook his head. "You ain't getting anything from me." David lightly slashed the leader's arm. The leader winced as blood oozed out of the wound.

"It won't be so light if you continue resisting," David sneered. The leader refused. "My boss is well connected with the underworld, lad. You're going to be sorry you did this."

David smiled coldly. "You have given me a clue there. Your boss is well connected with the underworld. By any chance, is your boss part of the Warriors of New York?"

"I've said enough," the leader refused. Unconsciously, he started humming a tune familiar to David. It was the tune of the Warriors of New York. Before the leader even realised he was humming the tune, David slit the leader's throat. David tidied up his apartment and began finding a new place to stay.

A couple of days later, David had shifted to another apartment which was a street away from Hope's gang hideout. Hope had helped David to find a new apartment after getting word that his lodgings had been broken into.

David met with Hope and another Assassin named Liam O'Brien. "That is bad news. An infamous gang led by a Templar has found where one of their biggest enemies was living. I'm just surprised this only happened now," Liam said. Hope nodded. "I agree. And thank the gods you didn't die, David. If you did, the Warriors of New York will probably never be defeated."

"I believe there's a mole in your gang, Hope. Another mole. How else would they find my lodgings?" Hope and Liam thought for a while before they agreed. "I'll keep your new location a secret while both of us find out who the traitor is. Take a rest while we do so, David. I feel that you need it."


	14. Chapter 14 - Gang Traitors

A week later, David returned to the gang hideout. Hope and Liam had the information ready. "It turns out that you were right, David. But it's not just one mole, there are moles. Three of them, to be precise," Liam informed.

"One is a brute, the second is a stalker and the last is actually a leader." David understood Hope's terminology. Gang brutes were usually men with stocky builds, and were well-trained. They were capable of blocking many attacks, and they could even block some Assassin attacks. Gang stalkers were members who wore civilian clothing and could blend in with crowds and hide in hiding spots rather well. They were all capable of assassinating their targets.

Gang leaders could do what both the brutes and stalkers were able to do. But they were the most well trained men in Hope's gang, and they were not defeated easily.

David found the brute walking on the street. He pulled out his Queen Anne pistol and fired a warning shot. The civilians started fleeing in all directions. David scanned the crowd and saw two men heading towards him. Looking at their faces carefully, David recognised the two men as the other two traitors. David quickly switched his pistol with his basket-hilted sword.

After a few seconds of exchanging blows, the gang stalker produced a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. The leader and the stalker ran away as the smoke filled the air. David began chasing after them.

The brute attempted to stop David in his tracks. The brute pulled out his axe and took a vicious swing at David. David managed to parry the attack, but he knew he could not hold for much longer due to the axe's heaviness. At the last possible moment, David softened his knees and got into a crouch. The axe flew across David's head, just a centimetre from his hood. David's fist flew towards the brute's jaw as he got up from his crouch. His fist made contact with the brute's jaw and the brute staggered backwards. David thrust his sword into the brute's chest.

David sheathed his sword and began climbing the nearest building. He saw the stalker and leader making their escape through the rooftops. David quickly gave chase.

Not long after, the stalker and leader went their separate ways. David decided to chase after the stalker, who was still on the rooftops. The leader had leaped off the building and blended into the crowd.

David caught up with the gang stalker a few minutes later. The stalker drew a long and thin knife and attacked David. David moved away from the attack, released his Hidden Blade and stabbed the stalker in the back. David lay the gang stalker's body on the roof and reported back to the gang hideout.

"The leader's still alive? Damn it!" Liam remarked. "Luckily you killed the other two traitors. But with the leader still alive, Hope is in danger." David nodded. "I understand. I will bring Hope to a safe place until the leader is killed."

"But, your contributions have been great thus far. Achilles wishes to reinstate your status as an Assassin. I support his decision. Are you agreeable with that?" Liam asked. David looked at Hope and she advised. "You should accept it, David. Being an Assassin allows you to do certain things an ex-Assassin can't."

David agreed in the end. Hope and Liam re-welcomed David into the Assassin Order by giving him a second Hidden Blade. "Perhaps you want to discard your old one, or you may want to dual-wield your Hidden Blade?"

He accepted the Hidden Blade and equipped it on his other hand. "I guess I should dual-wield it. Two is better than one, is it not?"

As David made his way back to his apartment, he was ambushed by a gang leader. The gang leader, whose face was mostly hidden by a brown hood, produced a short sword and held David at knifepoint. David caught a glimpse of the leader's face and recognised him as the betraying gang leader.

"You think you can live after killing my two comrades? You are wrong," the gang leader snarled. David released one of his Hidden Blades and sent it upwards towards the gang leader's body. The gang leader moved back before the Hidden Blade made contact with the leader's clothing.

David lunged at the gang leader, pulling out his basket-hilted sword at the same time. The gang leader hastily defended against David's attack. David and the leader were trying to overpower each other with their swords. The leader quickly pulled out his pistol and aimed it at David. David had seen the gang leader pull out his pistol and had rolled away.

The gang leader sheathed his short sword, threw a smoke bomb at the ground and fled, reloading his pistol while running. David put away his sword and ran after the gang leader.

"Get him! He's trying to kill me!" the gang leader shouted to no one in particular. Two gang stalkers appeared out of the crowd and looked at David, reluctant to follow their leader's orders. Before the stalkers came to a decision, David had already run past them.

Pulling out his Queen Anne pistol, David pulled the trigger at the gang leader's direction. The round hit the leader in the shoulder, but it did not matter much to the gang leader. A moment later, the gang leader swung back and fired a shot at David. It missed David by a few centimetres and hit a civilian in the stomach. David would have stopped to help the civilian, but he had more important things to attend to.

David kept his Queen Anne pistol as he closed the distance between him and the leader. David took a stab at the gang leader with his Hidden Blade, but it missed. The gang leader stopped and continued the fight with David. Seconds later, David managed to land a strike on the betraying gang leader, but it was only a minor wound David had caused. The gang leader groaned and reached for another smoke bomb.

"Not this time," said David as he brought his sword down on the gang leader's hand. The gang leader howled in pain as his hand detached from the rest of his body. David finished the gang leader off with a stab to his heart. David kept his weapons and ran back to the gang hideout.

"What is it, David? Why have you returned so quickly?" Liam asked. David explained, "I encountered the betraying gang leader on the way back to my apartment. I killed him."

"Great job, David. At least they're gone," Hope praised. "I just hope there will be no more traitors in my gang."


	15. Chapter 15 - Imprisoned

Months went by, and it was now April in 1750. David had removed most of the Warriors of New York influence, with only a few more high-ranks to take down. The Warriors only had three outposts left, the main one in Manhattan, the second one in Queens and the third one in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Hope's gang had become the biggest gang in the entire colony of New York. The gang even had some influence in the neighbouring province of New Jersey. David had been made an honorary gang member by Hope.

David was now thirty-five, and he was planning to move to somewhere else in America, or even in another part of the world, to lead a peaceful life. But that would only happen after he was finished with the Warriors of New York.

He was watching his target, a mercenary captain, who was patrolling the Warriors's remaining territory. The leader of the Warriors had stepped up security after the death of so many of their members. All the mercenaries were now more well-equipped, and since the Warriors's territory had grown to become very small, there were many more mercenaries patrolling the territory.

The mercenary captain was abusing the owners of the market stalls along the street. David eyed him as the mercenary captain stopped at one of the seller's store. "Greetings, perhaps I can take all of them for free?"

Bowing politely, the seller refused. "I need to run a business, sir. I cannot give all of them to you for free. But if you wish for one or two, I can agree to it." The mercenary captain got angry, as he thought the seller was belittling him. "One or two? What the shit do you think I am, a tramp?"

The four men around the mercenary captain proceeded to wreck the seller's stall. David climbed off the building and intervened. Releasing both his Hidden Blades, David killed two of the mercenaries. In a few more swift movements, the other two mercenaries were also dead. The mercenary captain stared at David and yelled, "Help! Someone's trying to kill me!"

David pulled his sword out and stabbed the mercenary captain. The mercenary captain was faster than David had thought. A moment later, the captain had drawn out his sword and was parrying David's sword. David had no time to duel the mercenary captain, as he was sure more mercenaries would be arriving. David pulled out his Queen Anne pistol and shot the captain in the stomach. He put away his pistol and plunged his Hidden Blade into the mercenary captain's heart, just to make sure that the captain was dead.

From a nearby building, a robed, hooded and masked man was watching David's actions. The man nodded, in appreciation of David's skills. "You are good, Assassin. But let us see how long more you can last. We will not take this lying down," the man muttered to himself and walked away from the window.

Three days later, David was at his apartment, looking at his next target. Suddenly, the door gave way and five British soldiers barged into the apartment. "Are you David Corsei?" the British officer asked. David nodded. "Indeed I am. May I know why you are looking for me?"

Ignoring David, the officer gave commands to his soldiers. "Arrest that man!" David decided not to attack them, as he wanted to see what would happen. Besides, he thought he would only be needed to assist in a killing or something of sorts.

"May I know why I am arrested?" David asked, faking a slight pompous accent. The officer said, "Just shut up."

As David later found out, he had been arrested for the killings of several people. The order had been issued by a higher-up in the British Army. The one who had started issuing the order could have been a member of British royalty, for all David knew. All that David knew now was that he would be imprisoned until further notice. By further notice, they meant until David would be hanged.

David had a harsh life the moment he entered prison. His weapons were all stripped, but David was still allowed to wear his robes. David was only given food and water once a day, and the food and water they gave was barely enough to last David. In addition, the food tasted like trash. The cell David was in was small, with barely enough room for a large bed. Usually, the patrolling British officers would taunt David from the outside. But still, they treated David with caution. They probably knew David as a mass murderer.

Two days after David entered prison, a hooded and masked man in black robes visited David. "Do I know you? Why the hell are you here?" The mysterious man shook his head and said, "You probably don't know me, but I know you, Assassin. Look at you, in this poor state. I was the one who got you in here, but I am also the man who can get you out of here."

David determined that the man was a Templar. He was right. "What do you want in exchange for my release, Templar?" The man answered, "Tell me everything you know about the other Assassins living in New York."

David lied. "I don't know anything! I broke off contact with them a few months back." The man laughed, which sounded creepy due to his mask. "I can see at once you're lying, Assassin. I am not stupid. Let us see how long it will take before you will break."

The man walked away and six British soldiers came. Two of them held David in place as the other four forcefully stripped David down to his underwear and left him in the prison courtyard. David was freezing, and soon he was sneezing uncontrollably.

At mid-afternoon, the hooded and masked Templar returned, accompanied by the six British soldiers. "Do you want to tell me now?" Shivering, David said, "N..n…no…no." The man motioned to the British soldiers. "Bring him in and get him clothed and fed. After all, a dead man won't do me any good. Do the same to him everyday from morning till now, until he wishes to talk."


	16. Chapter 16 - Masked Templar

Four days later, David had lost two pounds and was incredibly weak. He woke up by the shouts of the six British soldiers. The six soldiers that went to take David to the courtyard were different every single day, so David was not surprised to see new faces.

David quickly finished the food and water the soldiers gave him. One soldier unlocked and opened the cell and two soldiers brought David out. One of the soldiers, a young man with a very light beard, pulled his longsword out and stabbed it into another soldier's stomach. At the same time, two soldiers from the end of the corridor rushed over. David retreated back into the cell as he watched the battle. Instead of attacking the betrayer, the two recent-arrivals aided him.

In a few seconds, the British soldiers were dead. The betrayer introduced himself in a moderate Irish accent, "I assume you are David, yes? I am Shay Patrick Cormac, a member of the Assassin Order."

David nodded, but he was slightly unsure of the man. "But why do you not have a Hidden Blade?" The man replied, "I am new to the Order. I was brought in by my childhood friend, Liam O'Brien."

"I see. And who are the two men aiding you?" Shay answered, "They are men of Miss Jensen's. I am sure you know of her."

The two men took a slight bow at David. "It is a pleasure to meet you, honorary member." David acknowledged them with a nod. "We should make haste. British reinforcements may be arriving soon."

Shay and the two gang members nodded and led David to a room in the prison. "Your weapons, Assassin," Shay gestured to the opened chest. Beside the opened chest was a man who lay dead on a chair.

David retrieved his weapons from the chest and put them on. "It feels great to have my weapons back. But I am weak from all the torture."

The four men made their way to the prison courtyard and encountered five British soldiers. Upon seeing the four, the five soldiers drew their weapons and attacked them. The British soldiers were all cut down by the four men.

As they exited the prison, Shay told David, "We have to go our separate ways, so as to avoid detection. I'll meet you at Miss Jensen's hideout."

Half an hour later, the four men met at Hope's hideout. David was the last to arrive. Hope and Liam were there too. "Shay here is rather new to the Order. He joined two years ago, and is a good friend of mine," Liam said. "But he has quite a few flaws," Hope added.

David said, "I suppose Shay has to thank me, then? I suppose he doesn't get to use swords often." Shay nodded and smiled and David. "Aye."

Liam asked, "How were you imprisoned?"

"A week or two back, I killed a mercenary captain. Three or four days after that, a group of British soldiers barged into my apartment and arrested me. While I was in prison, a masked and robed Templar visited me almost every day. But from the tone of his voice then, I suspect he may be a Templar in the high ranks."

Hope thought for a while. "He could be the leader of the Warriors of New York for all we know. I will try to find out more about this Templar you talk of, David. By the way, we have moved your belongings to somewhere else. I'll give you the address."

As David neared his new apartment, he saw the masked Templar leading five Warriors of New York. The five Warriors were quite different from the others he had encountered. Each of the five were armed with a shortsword and longsword, had throwing knives on their clothing, wore tricorns and had a pistol. David reckoned that they were elite Warriors, here to launch an offensive against Hope's gang.

David released his Hidden Blades and drew his basket-hilted sword. The masked Templar identified David from the crowd and quickly notified his men. The five elite Warriors drew their long and shortswords and formed a ring around the masked Templar.

Coming out of the crowd, David attacked the Warriors. While he ducked from a vicious swipe from the first Warrior, David deflected a blow from the second. David rolled to his side two seconds later, just on time to dodge the third Warrior, who had brought his sword down on the then-ducking David.

"You will never defeat us, Assassin. Give up, now!" the masked Templar tried to demoralise David. David charged at the masked Templar, but changed direction at the last moment. David brought his Hidden Blade across the second Warrior's chest, ripping the fabric apart. Blood stained the fabric almost instantly. David's attack was not enough to severely injure the second Warrior, but he saw the Warrior grunt in pain. Seeing the Warrior grunt in pain gave David a fresh surge of energy, allowing him to fight on despite being weakened from the torturing.

David charged at the first Warrior, and while moving towards him, pulled out one of his pistols and fired at the Warrior. The first Warrior fell like a stone.

"Augh!" David let out a cry as the third Warrior slashed his forearm. He retreated as he checked his forearm. Luckily the wound was minor.

David went to the fallen first Warrior, tore some fabric from him and used it to bandage the wound on his forearm. David took the pistol from the dead Warrior's waist and shot the incoming fourth Warrior in the neck. The fourth Warrior collapsed.

"It appears I am wrong," the masked Templar spoke. "Men, let us retreat now." The remaining three Warriors surrounded the Templar as they made their escape. David chased after them, but the masked Templar produced a smoke bomb from beneath his cloak and threw it on the ground. By the time the smoke cleared, the Warriors and masked Templar were long gone.

David returned to Hope's hideout and reported the news to Hope. "You should stay here for the night. You need to recover," Liam said. Hope agreed with Liam. "Indeed you should stay, David." Thus, David stayed at the hideout for the night to recover.


	17. Chapter 17 - Bryce Perkins

David spent a few weeks to search and know more about his next target. Bryce Perkins was the bodyguard of one of the bankers working for the Warriors of New York. Perkins was known to be a good gambler, winning a lot of money almost every weekend at places around the New York Harbour area.

Two days later, on a Saturday afternoon in July, David visited all the taverns, inns and gambling dens around the New York Harbour. David found Bryce in a gambling den a street north of the Harbour. Putting on his hood, David walked over to Bryce. "I hear that you are the famous gambler, Perkins?"

Bryce, who was a teeny little bit drunk, looked at David and nodded. "Indeed I am. You wish to help me earn some money?" The people around Bryce laughed. David forced a smile and lied, "I wish to gamble with you, of course. But not here."

"Why not, ya idiot? You're afraid to lose in front of so many people?" Bryce asked. David shook his head. "I wish to gamble with a lot of money, and I find it a little unsecure here." Bryce's eyes lightened at the words of 'a lot of money'.

"Deal," Bryce stood up and got ready to follow David. David examined the man as he said, "Well then, let's go. It's not far from here." Bryce had a hilt at his waist, and David could see that Bryce had a dagger concealed in his clothes.

As they walked down the alleyway, Bryce pulled out his short sword noisily as he explained, "Just in case you try to rob me, y'know?" David nodded as a reply and continued walking.

Further down the alleyway, David ejected one of his Hidden Blades, pulled out his sword and turned around, all done in a second. Before Bryce could react, David lunged at him. Bryce brandished his short sword instinctively, but David had restricted the movement of Bryce's sword with his own and thrust his Hidden Blade into his stomach. He pulled the Hidden Blade out of Bryce's stomach and moved back.

Bryce put his hand over his stomach wound and continued brandishing his short sword at David. David knew that his Hidden Blade attack would not kill him. Bryce was moving back bit by bit, ready to make his escape. Every few moments, Bryce looked back to make sure that no one was behind him. David timed the moment correctly, and when Bryce looked behind him and back to David again, David had disappeared. Two seconds later, Bryce was knocked unconscious.

In the evening, Bryce woke up in a plain-looking room tied to a chair. He saw his hooded attacker standing a metre or two away from him. "What the shit do you want? I thought you took my money already?"

"If that was what I want, you would be dead already, wouldn't you? What I want is to know the name of your boss, one of the bankers working for the Warriors of New York." David saw the slight surprise in Bryce before he concealed it. "I work for no one."

David took Bryce's short sword, which was on a table Bryce could not reach, and pointed it at Bryce's neck. "Are you sure?" Bryce told him, "I know him. Yes, I work for him! What do you want to know about him?"

"His name," David said coolly, still having the short sword at Bryce's neck. Bryce shook his head nervously. A moment later, Bryce felt the flat part of his short sword on his neck. "Perhaps you need a gentle reminder, Bryce Perkins?"

Bryce spat at David's shoes. "To hell with that, you shit! I have had enough with you! Kill me and screw off!" David raised an eyebrow in amusement and pressed the short sword tighter against his throat. "I'll give you one chance to change what you said."

Since Bryce had said nothing, David let his fist make contact with Bryce's jaw. David had used so much strength that the chair had toppled backwards and two teeth had fallen out of Bryce's mouth. The bravery in Bryce had disappeared and he was now bawling like a baby. "I'll goddamn tell you! His name is Andrew Gofalonne!"

Andrew Gonfalonne was an Italian-American banker, the heir to the famous family-owned bank in New York, the Gonfalonne Family Bank. "Are you sure?" David asked as he elbowed Bryce in the stomach hard. Bryce nodded painfully. David plunged Bryce's short sword into his chest and left it there.


	18. Chapter 18 - Gonfalonne Family Bank

The next morning, David visited the Gonfalonne Family Bank, located in Lower Manhattan. The building had window grilles, but otherwise, it looked like any other building in the area. David was immensely surprised by the interior of the bank. The bank had marble floors and all its lighting came from ornately-designed chandeliers. There were also equally-ornate vases around the bank. David looked at his own clothing and knew straight away that he would not be able to see Andrew Gonfalonne in this type of clothing. David went to a nearby boutique meant for the high-class and bought the cheapest breeches and the cheapest pair of leather shoes. The breeches were priced at twenty-five pounds while the leather shoes cost fifteen pounds.

Ridiculous! Forty pounds for all these, David thought as he paid the money, gotten from all the people David had killed. David changed into the breeches at the back of the boutique and gave his old trousers and shoes to the owner of the boutique, a friendly Englishman in his late fifties.

"These clothing have significant meaning to me, you see. I would appreciate it if you could safekeep them for me," David lied. The man agreed to do it for free. "I understand, sir. I will safekeep these till your return."

David combed his hair neatly with his hands before returning to the Gonfalonne Bank. He walked up to a receptionist and said, "I wish to meet with Andrew Gonfalonne, the heir to this beautiful bank."

The receptionist scanned David and queried politely, "Sir, may I know why you are looking for him?" David nodded. "I want to make a deal with him, a deal I believe he will want to do." The receptionist rolled his eyes and told David, "He has many people like you to deal with every day. You should make an appointment with him."

David took out five pounds and slid it over to the receptionist. The receptionist accepted it and said, "Mister Gonfalonne is on the first floor, in the office furthest to the left. The code is 1290."

A security guard blocked the staircase to the first and second floors. David told him the four numbers and the security guard let David pass.

Knocking on the door of Andrew's office, David opened it and entered a moment later. Andrew gestured for David to take a seat. David extended his hand to shake Andrew's and introduced himself as Mister Bellec.

"Pleased to meet you, Mister Bellec. May I know why you are here?" Andrew Gonfalonne asked. David replied, "Andrew Gonfalonne, one of the bankers working for the Warriors of New York. Who are the other bankers?"

Andrew raised his eyes and opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, David ejected a Hidden Blade and brandished it at him. "Shout for help and you'll die on the spot. Now, tell me. Who are the other bankers?"

"You are an Assassin," Andrew uttered as he looked at David, just loud enough for David to hear. David nodded. "I am glad you know. So you must be a Templar, then?"

"I am not a Templar, I am just fighting with them," Andrew said. David raised his free hand to silence Andrew. "Shut up and tell me who the other bankers are."

David saw Andrew reach for something. "Move your hand another inch and I'll goddamn kill you," David threatened. Andrew stopped moving his hand and David walked over to Andrew. He made Andrew stand against the wall, away from the desk.

Andrew, finally coming to the realisation that he could not dodge the question anymore, gave up. "There is another banker and one of them, who often donates to the Warriors. The other banker is Von Konig, a German, and the donator is Arnaud de Calais."

David knew why Andrew had talked about the donator. Andrew had hoped by talking about more valuable information, David would spare him. But David was firm in his decision. David kneed Andrew in the stomach, making him groan. Andrew nodded and cried, "I'm sure, I'm sure!"

He stabbed Andrew in the heart and wiped the blood on Andrew's clothing before walking out. As David was walking out of the bank, he heard someone shout, "Andrew Gonfalonne is dead!" David hurried out of the bank and got to the fancy boutique. He changed back to his navy blue trousers and worn shoes, thanked the owner and fled.

Returning to his apartment, David put the new breeches and leather shoes in a chest and locked it. He sat down and began thinking. After killing the leader of the Warriors, David was planning to move somewhere else. Perhaps New France, David thought. As far as he knew, the Assassins had almost no one in New France, and David was afraid that if Templars were to settle there, there would be no one to stop them. "New France it is then," David decided.


	19. Chapter 19 - Shocking Revelations

David spent a week to find out more about Von Konig and Arnaud de Calais. Von Konig was born to a German father and an American mother in the 1720s. He and his parents had fled to New York after Von Konig's father was to be charged in German court. He was now the owner of Von Konig's New York Shipping. Arnaud de Calais was a businessman who was either sixty-five or sixty-six, and had been a ship Captain in the past. David had found out that Arnaud had gotten filthy rich from smuggling valuable items for rich people.

Hope had informed David that Arnaud had heard of Andrew Gonfalonne's death and was planning to flee by sea. Arnaud was set to leave on the Noble Skirmisher, a merchant Brig, the next day at sunset.

David reached New York Harbour in the early afternoon and waited there patiently until Arnaud came. One and a half hours later, Arnaud arrived in a large carriage. The coachman and Arnaud's bodyguard helped to unload his belongings. The carriage wheeled away and the two men carried the belongings to the Noble Skirmisher. David stopped the two men as they were nearing the Brig.

"May you be Arnaud de Calais?" David asked politely. Arnaud and his bodyguard put down their belongings and the former nodded. "I am the First Mate of the Noble Skirmisher, Mister Arnaud. I was sent by the Captain to help you."

Arnaud and the bodyguard nodded slowly. Pointing at the tip of the sword at David's waist, Arnaud asked, "Why do you have a sword?"

"I keep it with me all the time, Mister Arnaud. You never know when danger will come." David took one of the small trunks and led the two men to the Noble Skirmisher. David stopped in front of the gangplank to the Brig and suddenly threw the trunk into the sea.

"What the shit are you doing?" the bodyguard asked, more annoyed than shocked. The bodyguard saw the 'First Mate' drawing his sword and he pulled out his own sword.

David extended his palm in a gesture meaning 'stop'. "Behind you!" The bodyguard and Arnaud spun around. David lunged at the bodyguard and cut him down in two swift strokes. Arnaud turned back and saw his bodyguard dead.

"The Warriors of New York will get you for this!" Arnaud warned. David kicked the bodyguard into the sea as he released his Hidden Blade. Before Arnaud could take out his own weapon, he was already dead.

David looted Arnaud's money before throwing his body into the sea. He saw British soldiers running towards him and quickly fled.

Ten minutes later, David arrived at Von Konig's New York Shipping. He walked in, pulled out a Queen Anne pistol and aimed it at the receptionist. "Where is Von Konig?" David asked. The receptionist raised both of her hands and stammered, "Mister…Mister Konig is…in his off…office." David moved up to the receptionist and knocked her unconscious. He then went to the back, where Von Konig's office was located.

Kicking the door to the office open, David aimed his pistol at Von Konig. Von Konig was in his late twenties, with a thin walrus moustache. "What are you doing?" Von Konig demanded. He had a thick German accent and spoke in a low voice. Before Von Konig could move, David fired a shot into Von Konig's forehead. David searched the room and took off with forty pounds in his satchel.

In three days, it had become the talk of the town. Two wealthy men had been murdered on the same day, and through investigation, both of the victims were associated with the Warriors of New York. Now, the Warriors of New York was on the brink of being destroyed. Everyone was speculating about who could be behind the opposition of the Warriors of New York, which were, of course, the Assassins and Hope's criminal organisation.

Now, all that remained was the Vice-boss, the Vice-boss's bodyguard and the leader of the Warriors of New York, all of whom identities were unknown. The Warriors' territory had been reduced to four small streets, and their numbers had thinned to only a hundred or so men.

Meanwhile, Joseph Caysee and his mercenary group had expanded to become the most powerful organisation on Staten Island, with around three hundred or so men in service. Joseph's mercenary organisation was killing Warriors of New York sympathisers, so as to prevent their comeback.

David visited Joseph Caysee on Staten Island. "It's been a while, David. You've only been sending letters to me for so long I thought you were paralysed!" They shared a laugh. "But I have splendid news for you, David. The Vice-boss of the Warriors is on this island!"

"Why would he come here?" David asked. Joseph stood up and drew a pistol, aiming it at David. "It is none other than me, my dear fool."

David shook his head in disbelief. "Stop with the jokes, Joseph. Who is it?" Joseph stood up and sneered. "Stop with Joseph Caysee. Call me Leon. I'm sick of the fake name." With his other hand, Joseph pulled out a cutlass.

"Shortly after you introduced me to Hope Jensen, the leader of the Warriors of New York looked for me. He told me that the Vice-boss was dead and he wanted me to take his position. I held a sword to his neck until he promised me a payment of thirty pounds a month, with a down sum of fifty pounds."

"You did all this with money?" David shook his head in disgust, releasing his Hidden Blade at the same time. Leon looked at David's Hidden Blade and said, "Move that hand and I'll shoot you. Anyway, it's not just the money, well, not at first. After a while, the boss started teaching me everything about the Templars. It made much more sense than you foolish Assassins. Now, I am a Templar Knight. If I killed you right here and right now, I could be promoted to a Master Templar, or even the next Templar Grand Master!"

Absorbing all of what Leon said, David queried, "Why don't you kill me now?" Leon chuckled and explained, "If I could get some more information from you, my promotion would be guaranteed!"

"You'll get nothing from me, scum," David refused. Leon advanced, preparing to knock David unconscious. Fortunately, David crouched in time and dodged the attack. David came up from his crouch, punching Leon in the stomach. Leon moved back a few steps and recovered quickly. He fired a shot at David's direction, and the round missed David by a centimetre.

David took his sword out and hastily blocked Leon's cutlass. Leon kicked David in the crotch, and David doubled over in pain. Seizing the opportunity, Leon kicked David onto the floor. "It appears knocking you unconscious would be a great risk. I guess I must kill you. Goodbye, former ally," Leon said as he brought his cutlass down on David. David kicked his leg out and tripped Leon. Leon fell on top of David and his weapons fell out of his hands. David coughed as a result of the weight as he punched Leon's side.

Using both of his hands, David got Leon off him and got up. He put his shoe on Leon's head to keep him down. With his other leg, David kicked the cutlass and pistol away from Leon. "As much as I would not like to kill you, Leon, I must." David then plunged his sword into Leon's back, killing him swiftly.


	20. Chapter 20 - Vice-boss's Bodyguard

David knelt beside Leon's body and looted his money. "Rest in peace, former ally," David muttered and got up. Suddenly, the door opened and a burly man walked into the office. David recognised the burly man as Joseph Caysee, a.k.a. Leon's personal bodyguard, Benjamin Rosyth. That meant that Benjamin Rosyth was the bodyguard of the vice-boss of the Warriors of New York.

At the same time, they drew their weapons and faced each other. "You goddamn betrayer!" Benjamin shouted at David. David rolled his eyes. "Speak for yourself, Templar." Benjamin slammed the door and locked it, before sneering at David.

There was a ringing sound as both of their swords made contact. Benjamin was much stronger than David thus he was overpowering David. Holding on until the last second, David finally rolled to his side. Benjamin's blade was now stuck in the floorboards. As Benjamin worked to pull his sword out, David stabbed his basket-hilted sword at Benjamin's side.

Instead of finding Benjamin bleeding in front of him, David saw air. He turned around and saw Benjamin behind him, now armed with a dagger. David did not feel it instantly, but a few moments later he felt it. Blood was flowing down David's hand slowly but surely. He had been injured in his sword arm.

Muttering a swear word, David quickly sheathed his sword and stopped the bleeding, which took a few precious seconds. When he looked up, he saw that Benjamin had disappeared. David looked out of the office window and saw Benjamin running out of the mercenary headquarters.

David braced himself as he jumped out of the window, breaking the glass window. As he hit the ground, David did a roll to break his fall. Getting up, David dusted the glass shards off his robes and examined himself. After determining that he was fine, David chased after Benjamin Rosyth.

"Help! Someone is trying to kill me!" Benjamin yelled as he ran, hoping that someone would try to stop David. But the civilians did not want to be attacked by Benjamin's assailant, so none of them intervened.

Nearing his target, David sprung both of his Hidden Blades and leaped onto Benjamin. His Hidden Blades and gashed both of Benjamin's shoulders, but that was not enough to kill Benjamin. Benjamin once again pulled out his dagger and plunged it into David's stomach.

Getting off Benjamin weakly, David pulled the dagger out of his stomach and put his other hand over the stomach wound. David was losing blood, and he had to finish the battle quickly. Twirling the dagger in a figure of eight, David slashed Benjamin across the chest, who was getting himself to his feet. Benjamin fell back onto the ground and died. David threw Benjamin's dagger onto the ground and went to find a doctor.

Days later, David woke up in a bed, wearing different clothing as he had remembered wearing. He tried to get up, but he felt a stinging pain from his abdomen. At the same time, a doctor walked in.

"You're awake, Mister David!" the doctor made a formal smile. "Are you feeling alright?" David shook his head. "My stomach hurts like hell when I try to get up."

"Indeed, you're still recovering. It'll take a week for you to recover fully," the doctor informed. David asked, "How long have I been out? And how do you know my name?"

"I am known to the Order, especially to Achilles Davenport. I am a doctor, Richard Mont. I believe Achilles will be visiting sometime today, as he hasn't visited for a while. And you have been out for three days."

One week later, David had recovered enough to be discharged from Richard Mont's clinic. However, he could not do any strenuous activity for the next two weeks. Achilles, Hope, Liam and Chevalier met in David's apartment.

"Is there news of the leader of the Warriors of New York?" David asked them. Sadly, the four of them shook their heads. "That lad, aye, is a hard one to find. Since I got the word from Achilles a while back, describing of a hooded and masked Templar, I've been asking ship Captains that I am acquainted with. So far I have nothing."

Hope spoke, "My men are searching the streets of New York as we speak. If the leader is still in New York, my men should have news of him within the next week. If not, it means that the leader has already fled."

Now, Achilles changed the topic. "David, what are you going to do after this leader is dead?" David answered calmly, having made up his mind, "I intend to migrate to New France."

Three weeks later, Chevalier and Achilles returned to David's apartment. "I have received word of the leader of the Warriors," Chevalier told David. "One of my acquaintances informed me that the masked Templar had gotten on a ship to Boston, and he had killed the Captain when they reached Boston."


	21. Chapter 21 - End

Months passed, and it was now October in 1750. Chevalier, David and Achilles had reached Boston. Achilles had recently built his home at Rockport, an area about two and a half hours north of Boston. Achilles and Chevalier would be resting in Boston until David had killed the leader of the Warriors.

David found that the masked Templar was living in the Green Dragon Tavern. He went there and waited for the masked Templar to come out. Hours later, the masked Templar was seen walking out of the alleyway next to the tavern, surrounded by six elite Warriors.

Choosing not to attack the masked Templar, David followed him. But it was not long before he was discovered. Two of the elite Warriors broke off from the group and started walking towards David. David's Hidden Blades ejected and he brought out his sword.

The first Warrior lunged at David, but he sidestepped the attack easily. David extended his fist to make contact with the first Warrior's back, but he turned around suddenly and punched David's elbow.

David made a groan and stumbled backwards. David popped the ball back firmly in the socket, and he felt better instantly. He got down low and stabbed the first Warrior with his sword. The first Warrior dodged the attack and countered by bringing his own sword down on David's hand. David moved his hand away before the sword could slice off his hand.

He heard footsteps from behind. David spun around to see the second Warrior charging towards him. He raised his sword instinctively and parried the second Warrior's attack. As they were locked in a parry, David stomped on the Warrior's foot. The Warrior grunted in pain and looked down momentarily.

While the second Warrior was looking at his foot, David thrust his Hidden Blade into his stomach. The Warrior dropped his sword and clutched his gut as he moved backwards. Crimson red blood stained his hand quickly. David saw the Warrior reaching for another weapon. Before he could do so, David kicked the Warrior hard in the genitals and stabbed him in the chest.

The first Warrior remained at his spot in a defensive stance. He looked at David, and his eyes did not reveal anything about him. He's good, David thought. David surged forward at the first Warrior. At the last moment, David pretended to switch sides, and the first Warrior quickly moved to that side. When the first Warrior realised David was only faking, it was too late. The first Warrior was falling onto the ground, with a long and ugly slash across his body.

David saw the masked Templar and the four elite Warriors, almost out of his sight already. David sheathed his sword and ran after them.

Leaping when he was an arms' length away from the group, David extended both hands. He pushed two of the Warriors down with him. When David got up, the two Warriors were dead, killed by David's Hidden Blades. The last two Warriors drew their swords and engaged David. "Show no mercy," the masked Templar ordered.

Instead of attacking, David stood there in an attack stance, with a plain yet threatening face. The two Warriors were hesitating, and they would have run if not for their leader, the masked Templar.

David suddenly started moving, but not towards the Warriors, but to the masked Templar. The masked Templar just managed to draw his own sword before David reached him. The loud ring of swords clashing echoed across the street. David danced to the masked Templar's side, unsheathed his sword and lunged at him, all in one and a half seconds. But still, the masked Templar managed to defend against David.

The two Warriors were charging at David from behind. David heard their footsteps clearly and rolled to his side, pulling out his Queen Anne pistol once he had rolled away. David got up, swung his pistol at one of the Warriors' head and fired. The Warrior was dead before he hit the ground.

"Oi!" a voice shouted. David glanced at the direction of the source of the shout and saw four British soldiers arriving, led by a fifth British personnel, an officer. The British officer had been the one to shout.

David ignored the last elite Warrior and charged at the British personnel. David was lucky to land two fatal artery slashes in his first two attacks, killing as many British soldiers. The remaining three British personnel pulled their weapons out and attacked David. David saw the British officer produce a pistol. Worse still, the officer was aiming the pistol at him. David grabbed the nearest soldier and pulled him over, just in time for the soldier to take his officer's round. David threw the dying soldier onto the ground and took out his other pistol. Instead of shooting the British officer, David spun around and shot the approaching elite Warrior of New York.

The British soldier shouted a battle cry and surged forward, at David's direction. David met the soldier's blade with his own, and plunged one of his Hidden Blades in between his ribs. David pulled the Hidden Blade out and watched the soldier collapse.

"Spare me, please!" the British officer dropped his weapons and knelt down. David looked at the officer and told him, "I'll give you ten seconds. If you're not gone by then, I'll kill you." The officer got on his feet, bowed as a sign of thanks to David, and hurried the hell out of there.

"What kindness, Assassin," the masked Templar mocked. "But your kindness, sadly, won't be repaid by me." David raised his sword just in time to defend against the masked Templar.

The Templar rolled to his side and pulled a pistol from under his robes. Before the Templar could aim it at David, David smacked the pistol out of the Templar and plunged his Hidden Blade into the Templar's stomach. David reached for the Templar's mask, but he kicked David away before he could do so.

David retaliated by sticking his sword out at the Templar's body. It nicked the Templar in the stomach, resulting in part of the Templar's robes being stained with blood. While the Templar was stunned for just a moment, David closed back the distance between them, thrusting his Hidden Blade at the masked Templar. The masked Templar moved out of the way swiftly, and grabbed David's hand. Before the Templar could twist it, David kicked him in the thigh.

Moving away from David, the Templar quickly bandaged his stomach wound and continued fighting. At the same time he had picked up his pistol. The Templar fired a round at David, at the round injured David in the shoulder. Luckily the round had dropped on the ground instead of being lodged in his shoulder, because only part of the round had hit David.

"Hah!" David shouted to boost his courage, as he pressed on, determined to finish the fight quickly. Three seconds later, the fight was over. The masked Templar lay dead on the ground. David kept his weapons and walked off, not bothering to discover the Templar's true identity. He was dead anyway, and looking at his face would not change anything.


End file.
